Ball-gearing.



No. 667,658. Patented Feb. 5, l90l;

H. B. KEIPEB. BALL BEARING. (Application filed July 24, 1897.) m M d l.)2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Q MW 1 No. 667,658. Pafented Feb. 5, I90I.

H. B. KEIPER.

BALL GEABING. (Application filed July 24, 1897.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets8haei 2.

Unrrnn mares ATENT Fries.

HENRY B. KEIPER, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

BALL-(BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 667,658, datedFebruary 5, 1901.

Application filed July 24,1897. serial No. 645,806- (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY B. KEIPER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBall-Gearing; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to gearing of that class in which balls insteadof the usual spurs or teeth of gear-Wheels serve to transmit the rotarymotion of one wheel to the other in each pair angularly rotating or intrain.

The object of the invention is to provide means for loosely seating theballs in one of said wheels, together with an independent retainerholding them thereto, thereby reducing friction to a minimum, saidgearing being dust-proof and especially adapted to the construction ofchainless bicycles or kindred vehicles.

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, and then pointed out in the claims at the end of thedescription.

The purposes of the invention are attained by the mechanism and devicesillustrated in said drawings, in which similar reference charactersdesignate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chainless gearing embodying myinvention, a portion of the casing being shown in vertical longitudinalsection. Fig. 2 isa plan View of the same, the upper half of the casingbeing removed and a crank-arm being shown in place on the driving-shaft.Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation iaken on the line III III ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV IV of Fig. 3.Figs. 5 and 6 are face views of the contacting wheels shown in Fig. 3,and Fig. 7 is a view showing a portion of the left-hand end of thedevice illustrated in Fig. 2 modified and secured to one end of a tubeappearing in horizontal section.

In the drawings, A designates any suitable casing made of any approvedmaterial and shaped in accordance with the conditions of thedevices,such as disks or wheels and shafts, it is intended to house. Inthis instance the casing is made in two portions A A joined in ahorizontal plane through the longitudinal center line and securedtogether by bolts and nuts a, dotted lines a a indicating legs or feetto support the casing when so desired. At the left-hand end of thecasing are vertically-disposed wheel-housing chambers AAflperpendicularly placed and having at their centers shaft-bearings orjournal-boxes a a. At the right-hand end thereof are similarlydisposedhousing-chambers A A also perpendicularly placed and having at theircenters shaft-bearings or journal-boxes a a.

In the bearings a is journaled a shaft B, constituting the main ordriving shaft of the device, on which is mounted within the chamber A abeveled disk or Wheel B, having in the beveled portion of its faceprescribed circular sockets or recesses 19 17 b arranged ata prescribedpitch in three concentric circles and so disposed that the radial centerline of each will be tangent to the succeeding one in the order ofrotation, as indicated by the dotted radiallines on the face of thewheel B in Fig. 6, in which it will be seen that the line passingthrough the center of a recess b touches the edge ofthe circumference ofthe next recess b, that the line passing through the center of saidrecess 19 touches the edge of the'next recess b and that the linepassing through the center of said recess 19 touches the edge of thesucceeding recess b, and so on, the wheel rotating upwardly from theright-hand side toward the left.

B indicates a crank-arm whereby said shaft may be rotated. In thebearings a is jour naled a shaft 0, constituting the secondary 'ordriving shaft of the device, on which is mounted within the chamber A abeveled disk or wheel 0, having in the beveled portion of its faceprescribed circular sockets or recesses c o c at a prescribed pitch,arranged in three concentric circles disposed or staggered, as are therecesses 17 b 19 before 1nention ed.

In the bearings a a are journaled, respectively, the left and right handends of a shaft D, constituting the connecting or motion transmittingshaft,having mounted on its end within the chamber A a bevel-wheel D,provided in its peripheral edge contacting with the beveled face of thewheel B, before mention ed, with circular sockets or recesses cl cl dregistering, as the wheel revolves, with the sockets b b b of said wheelB, and in which sockets or recesses are seated pellets or balls I) D D"to engage said sockets b 1) b whereby the latter wheel revolves theformer, rotating the shaft D, and on its end within the chamber A ismounted a bevel-wheel D provided in its beveled peripheral edgecontacting with the beveled face of the wheel before mentioned, withcircular sockets d d d registering with the sockets c 0 0 in whichsockets or recesses are seated balls or pellets D D D engaging thelatter, rotating the wheel 0 and driving its shaft. Within the chambersA A where the beveled portions of their walls join, are projecting edges(1 lying closely to the beveled face of the wheel 15, which serve topick the balls from its sockets and confine them to the sockets of thewheel D, while between the balls from the inner face of the casingridges a may extend to form channels or guideways about said wheel, inwhich said balls will move, and the same construction will maintainwithin the chambers A A. Now the pitch-centers of the balls and socketsin each pair of contacting wheels are located in a circle lying aprescribed distance within the faces of the beveled edges of the wheels,to which the respective balls are confined, in order that the edges 00may engage said balls beyond their centers in picking them from therequired sockets, and the balls are confined to the smaller one of thetwo contacting wheels in order that their number maybe the least; butwhen preferred they may be confined to the larger wheel.

Fig. 7 shows a modification of the left-hand end of the casing, havingan annular hub secured into one end of a tube, in which ballbearings maybe introduced to support the shaft, and a right-hand end of the casingmay be secured in a similar way, while the casing itself instead ofbeing in two parts or portions may be formed in any other approvedmanner that will entirely inclose the device. Three sets of balls arehere shown in use with each pair of wheels, yielding continuous oruniform contact; but a single set of balls may be used when so desired,the shafts forming any angles with reference to each other, and whenthey are at right angles, as here shown, the wheels may be plaincircular disks, the peripheral edge of the one contacting with the plainface of the other. It will here be observed that the shell or portion ofthe casing with the projecting edges a retaining the balls within therecesses of the wheels, in which said balls are loosely seated, isindependent of said wheels, remaining stationary while the wheelsrevolve, and, with the ridges a before mentioned, cause the balls torevolve, and thereby insure a rolling contact with the sockets orrecesses of the wheels in which the balls engage.

I claim-- 1. In a device for transmitting rotary motion, in combination;shaft-s,rotatably mounted at angles with reference to each other, andhaving their extremities, in adjacent pairs, at each of said angles;wheels, with con fronting faces, secured in pairs, near saidextremities, to said shafts, and having registering circular recesses insaid confronting faces; balls loosely seated in the recesses of one ofeach pair of said wheels, and a shell, with projecting edges, to confinethe balls thereto; all substantially as described and for the purposehereinbefore set forth.

2. In a device for transmitting rotary motion in angular directions, incombination, shafts rotatablyjournaled,with their extremities in pairs,at each angle of direction; wheels with confronting faces secured, inpairs, near said extremities, to said shafts, and having registeringrecesses in said faces; balls loosely seated in the recesses of one ofeach pair of said wheels; and an independent shell with projecting edgesand guidewayridges surrounding the wheels to confine the balls thereto;all substantially as described and for the purpose hereinbefore setforth.

3. Gearing comprising members between which motion is to be transmitted,said members having registering sockets, rollers seating loosely in thesockets of one member and projecting therefrom for engagement wi th thesockets of the other member, and a casing extending over the socketedsurface of the rollercarrying member, confining the rollers in thesockets thereof, and excluding them from the sockets of the other memberexcept when transmitting motion between the members.

at. Gearing comprising wheels associated together and having registeringsockets, rollers loosely seated in the sockets of one wheel and adaptedto engage the sockets of the other wheel to transmit motion, and a shellor casing embracing the roller-carrying wheel to confine the rollers inthe sockets thereof, and extending in such close proximity to thesocketed surface of the other wheel as to exclude the rollers from thesockets thereof eX- cept when transmitting motion between the wheels.

5. Miter-gearing comprising members havi ng registering sockets arrangedin a plurality of circular series, rollers seating loosely in thesockets of one member and projecting therefrom for engagement with thesockets of the other member, and a casing surrounding the rollercarrying member and confining the roller-bodies in the sockets thereofand excluding them from the sockets of the other member except whentransmitting motion, said casing having ridges between the series ofroller-bodies.

6. The combination of two gear members, each provided with projections,antifriction devices adapted to occupy the spaces between the edge ofsaid wheel and confining said balls Y in said cavities, and having anopening in its edge across the space of engagement by said I5 balls withthe opposite Wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY B. KEIPER.

Witnesses:

DANL. H. HERB, CHAS. E. Lone.

